Tough Luck
by glasses-are-dead-sexy
Summary: Eleanore is alluring, cold and unforgiving.   When she catches Remy's eye, he is drawn into the murky depths of her past in order to save both their lives.
1. Cigarettes and Coffee

Bonjour, folks! This is a completely different story to my other one and the two are not linked in any way.(Though this one will also eventually include Remy)

Please forgive my terrible writing skillsxxx

* * *

The coffee was wonderfully bitter. A dark, thick brew to remind her that life was bitter and cruel, and she had to be ready for it.

She sank back into her chair and took a drag from her cigarette, clasping her coffee and eyeing the man facing her. He was expertly tied to a cold, metal chair, his wary eyes darting from the women in front of him, the front door and the sleek, black gun resting upon the kitchen counter.

"Don't you just love the smell of coffee in the mornings?" Her voice was cool and clipped, pronouncing her British accent. The coffee burnt her tongue as she raised a thin eyebrow.

The man, named Etienne, licked his lips, "I've always been more of a tea-man myself ma'am."

"Shame." Another mouthful of scalding coffee and another drag from the cigarette.

"Excuse me _Madame_, _mais, _I was wondering whether you were going to be shooting me, because I couldn't help but notice, you have the loveliest looking gun over there." Etienne was babbling; unnerved by the cold raven headed women and the shining automatic weapon mere meters from were he sat.

His job had been simple; to deliver a message - and look where it had got him!

Tied up and shivering, in the apartment of a woman who clearly had no qualms about putting a bullet through his head.

"That depends." She cocked her head and gazed at him through mirrored sunglasses, "On why I found you in my apartment."

"Ah well, _oui_, erm; y' see I'm only the messenger…" Etienne watched as his captor swallowed the final grainy dregs of her coffee, clearly unimpressed with his explanation. He panicked when she rose from the armchair and strode towards her kitchenette…and her gun.

"Who's messenger?" She was getting impatient; she placed her empty mug on the polished marble surface and picked up the gun. Cigarette between her lips, she assembled the weapon in quick, sharp motions before snapping it off 'safety' and pointing it at the intruders head.

"Jean-Luc's! I…I am delivering a message from Jean-Luc!" He was desperate, struggling wildly and praying for god to have mercy.

"Jean-Luc?" Her voice was as cold and indifferent as before, but inside her mind was reeling. "And what is the message?"

"He…he wants to see you, he wants you to come and see him, he wants to talk." Etienne eyed the gun nervously, regretting taking the job. This wasn't what he had signed up for.

"Why didn't he come and see me himself, why did he send you?" She didn't understand and it made her angry.

"_Je ne se pas_! I do not know! Please don't shoot me!"

"Okay."

"Huh?" He watched confused and suspicious as she put her gun down next to a bowl of fruit and picked up a knife.

She idly took another puff of her cigarette and played with the knife, flipping it up and down and up and down.

"I said, 'Okay'."

Etienne screwed his eyes shut as he heard her stilettos approach him, praying that the end would be quick and painless. But his eyes snapped open in surprise when instead of cutting his throat; the mysterious woman sliced the rope connecting him to the chair.

"Leave, and tell Jean-Luc that I will not be summoned like a dog." He opened his mouth to question her before snapping it shut again when he saw her face. Etienne backed out of the apartment slowly before sprinting down the stairs, away from the scary, cold woman and her cigarette and coffee.

* * *

What do you think? Should I continue? Pretty please review!


	2. Vanilla and Smoke

Eleanore sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose; she could feel another headache approaching.

She locked the front door, poured herself another mug of coffee and grabbed her gun from the kitchen counter before walking into her bedroom. It had the same stone whitewashed walls and varnished wooden floorboards as the rest of the apartment and it contained nothing openly unremarkable for a bedroom.

Eleanore ran herself a bath in her en-suite; a steaming hot bath, clouded with vanilla scented oils and promises of rest. Stripping, she climbed in and placed her gun and mug of swirling coffee on the clothes hamper next to her, before lighting another cigarette.

Her head was a mess.

Jean-Luc wanted to see her?

That spelt nothing but bad news, and she'd be damned before she ran off to meet him. If he wanted to speak with her, he could drag his ass out of the swamp and come and see her himself, not send one of his untrained lackeys to do his work for him.

Eleanore sighed and brought the cigarette to her lips.

Her black lips.

They were as silky soft as the rest of her, but black as sin and nighttimes – the same colour as her hair and eyes. She had eyes as black as a raven's, and hair so dark it almost shone blue in the sun; it contrasted strangely with the ghostly pallor of her milk white skin. Yet the overall effect was mystifyingly beautiful. Eleanore had delicately sharp features that were permanently set in a stony mask and a tall feminine body. But behind the pretty face, was a mind that had seen too much, knew too much, for its twenty one years on the planet.

She sighed again. Sweet smelling steam rose from the bath and mingled with the stale stench of the cigarette smoke above her.

What could she do?

* * *

Etienne knocked on the heavy oak door in front of him. Before he could change his mind, and scurry back down the corridor, a deep baritone sounded, "Come in."

He swallowed before entering the dimly lit study of Jean-Luc Lebeau. Jean-Luc sat behind an ornately carved desk shuffling papers and smoking a cigar. A half empty tumbler of whisky stood, stagnant on the desk.

"You wanted to see me Etienne?" Jean-Luc reclined in his chair and gestured to one of the plush arm chairs sitting before the desk. "Please, have a seat."

Etienne sat and stared at the carpeted floor.

"Now, _petit_, tell me what it is you wanted to be talking about. Hmm?"

"Well, y' see sir, it's about the message y' asked m' to deliver to the girl, Ms. Rennison, well, ah, it didn't really go as planned." Etienne was sweating; there was nothing worse then failing a job.

"What do y' mean, 'didn't go as planned'?"

"Well, ah, I told her _de_ message, _mais_ she said she weren't coming." He risked a peek at Jean-Luc, but quickly lowered his gaze once he saw the expression on the older man's face.

"Y' telling me, she ain't coming?"

"Um, _oui_ _monsieur_."

"_Merci_ for y' time, _mais_ you should be leaving now Etienne."

As soon as Etienne had shut his office door, Jean-Luc picked up his phone and hesitantly dialled the number.

* * *

pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaase review? I updated 2 chapters in 1 night! thats a record!


End file.
